Vegas or bussed: How Johnny battled grief
COMEDIAN Johnnyvegas sheds his funny man image as he battles grief in a show about glamping.
After losing dad Laurence in 2018, then mum Patricia a year later, Johnny admits he struggled emotionally to make his business – andtv show – a success.
It started with a bus from Malta converted into accommodation, and he added buses and camper vans from around the world.
Johnny, 50, said: “I lost my dad... then I did what any sensible person would do – I got drunk, went online and bought an old Maltese bus.
“I shared it on social media and Plum Pictures were like,
‘Are you seriously considering this?’they filmed him enduring setbacks as he tried to organise his glam camping project. “We had three attempts at getting the bus into the country and on the third attempt, the ferry caught fire.
“At one point I was trying to persuade them to make it a one-off episode where we just ended up with Patricia [the bus named after his mother] in the back garden.the whole thing would be a joke about my failed attempts at a glamping site.
“But we found the new land in Yorkshire and then the world ground to a halt with Covid.
“Getting Patricia was a really positive thing to do after losing my dad. I was just getting over that [but] no one could foresee what was coming.we still had my mum when we started and after losing her it was really hard to get motivated.”
The glamping site pays tribute to both his parents.
“If Mum could see it, she’d be overwhelmed, especially her namesake bus. And I’ve named the bar after my dad.”
Johnnyvegas: Carry On Glamping, Wednesday, 10pm on Channel 4